ABILENE, TEXAS— Janice Marie Dement-Kearney, beloved mother of sons David, Mark and Philip and grandmother of Joshua, Sarah, Hope, Matthew and Audrey, departed from this life on June 28, 2026. She was preceded by her loving parents, Bill and Marie Dement; seven brothers and sisters, Geeneta, Hardie, Billy Ray, Maezelle, Dewey, Douglas and Rita; and her husband of sixty years, William “Mike” Kearney.
Her faith that, in passing from this world to the next, she would be reunited with her “Daddy and Mama” and siblings sustained her through many of life’s tribulations and in her last days. We know that heaven just got a little louder at their reunion. In addition to her sons and grandchildren, she is survived by dear sisters Patsy and Rosa and daughters-in-law Jennifer, Carrie and Elizabeth.
“Jan” was born on July 14, 1946, in Spur, Texas. The lively, crowded Dement homewashumbleandmodest, but wealthy beyond measure in love and joy. Her daddy was the heart and her mama the foundation. She was a top student and star basketball player and filled her family with pride when she left home to attend Lubbock Christian College, where she met her future husband.
They lived in Lubbock and Crosbyton before settling in Abilene, which she would call home for the rest of her life. She raised their three sons, and nothing meant more to her in this life. In her work, she wore many hats and wore them all well, from real estate agent to retail manager. But no work brought her more joy than tending the little pecan grove that was her back yard. In her later years, it was being a grandmother that brought her the greatest joy, and her constant companions were the neighborhood’s stray cats that found their way into her heart and, to everyone’s delighted surprise, into her home.
Janice left her family far too soon and will be terribly missed. She had greatly lookedforwardtoseeingher youngest granddaughter, four-year-old Audrey, grow up, continuing to see her four adult grandchildren flourish in life, and to one day welcoming great-grandchildren. But a life of putting her own needs last—and a refusal to let that back yard start to look shabby—took their toll. We know that she will be waiting to meet us all when we arrive at the place where she is now, with a warm washcloth, carefully folded inside a sandwich bag, and a Styrofoam cup of sweet tea with our name on it.
A memorial gathering and celebration of life will be held for both Jan and Mike (who passed in July 2025) on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. at the Spur Community Center. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation made in honor of Jan’s compassion for animals to the All Kind Animal Initiative of Abilene (www.all-kindabilene.org, 325-698-0085).
